Dear Linguists,
as promised, I'm sending you a summary of my research.
If you remember, I was making a study about Optative in Greek language...
These are the results of my job:
- Optative, in Greek Language, falls completely in Hellenistic Age, but
signs of
weakness are manifest in Classic Age authors ( especially in Tragedian
Poets).
- To explain its fall, we should examine all Mood's System.
- I chose the Prototypic approach to describe every Mood: I found ,for
everyone,
a "core-definition" and all its slided meanings. F.E.:
OPATIVE
CORE DEFINITION SLIDED MEANINGS
WISH/ PRAYER POTENTIAL MOOD ( as wish/expectation )
We have also to assume that one's wish cold be feasible or not.
According to this new factor, we should supplement our scheme as below
CORE DEFINITION SLIDED MEANINGS
BY OTHERS > KIND IMPERATIVE
FEASIBLE
WISH
NOT FEASIBLE > IPOTETICAL PERIOD
According to this kind of approach, I assumed that:
- Optative's core definition is the expression of wish or prayer and the
whole of other meanings are arised from it.
- Optative's slided meanings are :
POTENTIAL
KIND IMPERATIVE
USE IN FINAL CLAUSE
USE IN COMPLETIVE CLAUSE INSTEAD OF
INDICATIVE OR CONJUNCTIVE
- The Optative System looks in growth, and we could explain its fall only
if we
assume a partial domain superposition .
- The superposition of Indicative and Opative ( or Conjunctive and Opative
) is clear, but i don't think it's decisive.
- At last, I ascribe Optative' s fall to Infinitive's growth.
- Here are the Infinitive periferical meanings: EXCLAMATION
IMPERATIVE
WISH
- The latter meaning, according to my opinion, mines Optative's CORE
DEFINITION, and make it slowly disappear.
- This problem returns to our attention in Italian Language, when we talk
about Conjunctive death.
These are my conclusions. Obviously, this treatment of the question is made
simpler.
I apologise for my English, and my inexact vocabulary.
I will consider any kind of suggestion.
Nicla Rossini
Universit di Pisa
E-MAIL: n.rossiniserver.humnet.unipi.it